Salt bids low for 2013-14

Saturday

Oct 5, 2013 at 10:00 AM

By Andy Barrandabarrand@hillsdale.net

HILLSDALE — Hillsdale County Road Commission Engineer-Manager Stanley Clingerman shared a bit of good news with members of the board during Thursday's meeting.Salt prices for the 2013-14 winter season dropped for the second straight year. The road commission will purchase salt from Detroit Salt for $39 a ton."That is surprisingly low," Clingerman said. "It doesn't make any sense, but we will take it."Last year the road commission paid $51.21 from the same vendor and in 2011-12 salt went for $56.52 a ton.During an average winter the road commission uses around 7,000 tons at a cost of $273,000. The low bid will save the county $85,470 based on last year's estimate."The savings will help with the overall budget," Clingerman said.He said it would allow the commission to put the money toward other projects in the county.The commission also sold the Flanery Pit to David and Madeliane Stranyak for a cost of $35,000. The commission has owned the property since the early 1980s and it is currently depleted."It has been one of the best gravel pits we have had," Clingerman said.He said the only remaining gravel is below water level and not worth digging up. The Stranyaks own 80 acres of property on the south side of the pit."They have been good neighbors to us," Cingerman said.With the sale the road commission still has gravel rights to the pit for the next 10 years.With the seasonable weather this fall crews have been busy working on projects on 11 miles of gravel roads throughout the county. Carr Brothers and Burns Excavating and Gravel have the contracts for the projects.Clingerman said the remaining road projects throughout the county are completed.One of those is M-99 in the area of Oakwood Drive, where crews profile milled the section of rough pavement.Clingerman said they did a good job, but the texture of the roadway is now wavy. Signs will be put up warning drivers of the pavement and it will be stripped next week. Clingerman said there is a possibility the stretch of road will receive a new surface next year.The second project was between Camden and Allen on M-49; seven sections of rough pavement were milled and repaved.The last project was completed this week at M-49 and Arkansas Road. A catch basin was replaced and a 5-foot wide curb was installed to help with drainage.The three state road projects were made possible with money from the commission's State Road Contract. The light winter in 2012-13 allowed for a surplus in the budget."We are grateful that MDOT approved these contracts," Clingerman said.Work is continuing on the Tripp Road Bridge project. The north abutment is complete and crews are working on the south abutment now.Clingerman said he is hoping a temporary deck can be poured over the bridge by the start of deer season. The bridge will then be finished in the spring.Other construction updates include:• The replacement of two failing cross-culverts on Jerome Road and Beacher Road. Two additional culverts have to be replaced on Litchfield Road east of Cronx Road.• Berm work is complete on Bird Lake Road in Adams Township, Mosherville Road in Scipio Township and Wheatland Road in Wheatland Township. Crews are currently working on McLain Road in Litchfield Township and Burt Road in Ransom Township.